


Positive

by rosieblue



Category: Boy Meets World
Genre: And there's an adopted kid, Fix-It, Gen, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 13:59:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8016757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosieblue/pseuds/rosieblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's your choice, really", he says after a while, taking her hands in his. "And I'm behind you whether we have it or not."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Positive

 

 

 

 

 

In hindsight, Angela should've seen that Topanga would be the first to know. 

 

 

 

They'd just blown out Riley's birthday candles, and Angela was hugging the ecstatic 7 year-old. 

 

"Happy birthday, Smiley", Angela says, feeling an odd lurch in the pit of her stomach. "Seven years-old, now that's a big number ~~\--~~ "

 

The sudden gut-punch feeling rises up in her throat and Angela tries to finish the sentence in a way that hid how many words were actually discarded, promptly walking to the bathroom. 

 

 

As she threw up in the toilet, Angela realizes that after nearly three years of not throwing up, she's totally forgotten the taste of vomit. 

 

Someone knocked on the door twice, a soft rap.

 

"Ang", Topanga said, through the door. "Are you okay?"

 

Angela tried to even her breath so she can answer, but before the words 'yeah, T, I'm fine' can cross her lips, Topanga opens the door and steps in. 

 

"You threw up", Topanga announces matter-of-factly, slightly cringing. 

 

"No, really?", Angela says sarcastically. 

 

Topanga flushes the toilet as Angela washes her face, still a little jittery. 

 

"I seriously have no time to be sick, Topanga", Angela says, leaning against the door. "I have like three deadlines coming up."

 

"Well, look on the bright side", Topanga says with a knowing smirk. "You may be pregnant."

 

Angela snorts. "Yeah, yeah. We literally use every type of contraceptive we can get our hands on."

 

"Nothing is a hundred percent guaranteed", Topanga says. "I've got a few pregnancy tests if you're interested"

 

Angela gives her a wry look, one that said an unvoiced joke. 

 

Topanga stuck her tongue out in a playful manner. "No, we're not planning others. Two kids are enough." 

 

"Okay", Angela says, sighing as she let the banter go. "This is the first test I'm going to have mixed feelings about acing." 

 

 

 

They wait for ten minutes in Topanga's bathroom anxiously anticipating the result. 

 

"How do you think Jamila is going to take it if it's true?", Topanga says, biting down a nervous smile.

 

Angela had not even began to think about that part. She hadn't even thought about how she'll tell Shawn. 

 

"No idea", she says finally. "I think she'll take it well. She's always talking about how she misses the kids from the orphanage and she loves it when she's over here with your kids and Maya."

 

Trying to alleviate her anxiety, Angela pauses a little before she asks. "Is pregnancy as hard as it looks?"

 

Topanga takes a while to answer that question, and Angela can tell she's trying to find the right words. 

 

"It's terrible", she says at last. " _Super_ fucking terrible. And labor's worse."

 

Angela grimaces. "Lovely pep talk, T."

 

"I'm not lying to you, Ang", Topanga says. "You'll see right through me if I did anyway."

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

She tells Shawn the next morning over breakfast while Jamila is still asleep.

 

 

"It's positive", she says, handing him the two pregnancy tests she took yesterday.

 

He takes it better than she expected; in fact, he takes it better than _she_ did. 

 

"Really?", he says, holding the tests with a face so joyous she thought he was being handed his college diploma all over again. 

 

He kisses her one, two, three times before he gets up and starts marching to the laptop on the coffee table.

 

"Oh, wow! We need names", he paused, taking in a big breath. "Oh my God! How do we tell Mila?"

 

"I don't know", Angela says, trying to maintain a casual tone. "Look, I don't ~~\--~~ can we support two kids, Shawn?"

 

He sobers a little, seeing the side of the situation she'd been seeing since yesterday. 

 

"Oh, shit."

 

"Oh, shit", Angela agrees. 

 

Shawn's face dims a little and he flops on the couch, looking sucker-punched. The laptop's screen dimmed as if it shared his dismay. 

 

Angela walks over to the couch, sitting next to him. For a moment or two, they sit there silently, trying to figure out an answer to a question neither of them really asked. 

 

"It's your choice, really", he says after a while, taking her hands in his. "And I'm behind you whether we have it or not."

 

A smile creeps up on her face, not un-tinged with nervousness. "I'm thinking we should keep it."

 

Her voice was a little faint at the word 'keep', but he heard her all the same. 

 

Shawn presses his forehead against hers and his smile feels warm.

 

"Second kid", he says, twitching with glee. 

 

"First pregnancy", she says, just as anxious as she was when she first saw that little plus sign.

 

"I know", he says, trying to be reassuring. "We're resilient people, though."

 

She laughs and kisses him again, slightly more than a peck, which would have been slightly more than a kiss if Jamila hadn't walked in.

 

 

"Good morning", Jamila says in a cheery voice. 

 

They turn to look at her, fresh-faced and excited and already dressed.

 

"I didn't miss the bus, right, Mom?", she asks and Angela gets the urge to hold her heart and maybe cry. 

 

Instead, she holds Shawn's hand tightly and uses an even voice in her answer. "No, honey. You're actually up early."

 

In the three years Jamila has been with them Angela has always felt she was more of an aunt than a mother. In the beginning, Jamila would constantly forget  and say her name was Jamila Avery instead of Jamila Moore-Hunter and more often than not, called Angela and Shawn, well, Angela and Shawn. 

 

Angela didn't think much of it, really. 

 

Riley sometimes called her parents by their names instead of the usual mom and dad and most of the time, it was endearing and sweet.  It still didn't, however, stop the pleasant surprise she felt when Jamila started calling her and Shawn Mom and Dad more regularly. 

 

"Ah, Angie", Shawn says, getting up and walking to the kitchen counter. "You can't blame her. It's field trip day!"

 

He pours himself another cup of coffee, shooting her a look as he stood behind Jamila. 

 

' _Now_ ', he mouthed urgently.

 

Angela considers standing up at first, but thinks better of it. "Mila, can you came here for a second?"

 

She pats the space next to her and Jamila sits. 

 

Shawn walks over with a mug in his hand and joins them on the couch. 

 

"I'm not in trouble, am I?", Jamila jokes, trailing her eyes between them. "I know I can't be. School just started."

 

"No", Shawn says, agreeing. "You're not."

 

"How do you feel about a baby sibling?", Angela blurts out before she can string the words better.

 

Jamila doesn't say anything and Angela thinks that perhaps she said it all too fast. 

 

 

"A baby sibling?", Jamila repeats a few seconds later, her face full of mixed feelings. 

 

Angela tried for an encouraging smile, noticing that she and her daughter had similar reactions to the news. 

 

"Yes", Shawn says in a voice so excited it seemed too clear it was trying to infect you. "You'll get to be a big sister; how about that?!"

 

Jamila smiles weakly to appease him, worry still etched on her face. 

 

Angela leans forward and looks her in the eye. "You're not being replaced, honey."

 

Jamila looks a little startled that Angela has figured her out so quickly. She shakes her head, her Afro-puffs shaking too.  

 

"I didn't say that", she says, sheepishly. 

 

"Well, you're not", Angela says. 

 

She shares a look with her, then, that said a lot more than they actually did. Jamila nods and hugs her, pulling back a minute later with an odd expression.

 

"I won't be able to play with them at first right?"

 

Shawn laughs. "Why not?"

 

"They'll be as small as Auggie", Jamila answers with 10 year-old righteousness, a ' _duh_ ' hidden somewhere in her words.

 

"You got me there", he says, looking at his phone. "And you've got half an hour before the bus. Go have breakfast."

 

"I'm eating coco-puffs", Jamila announces as she gets up. 

 

She makes to move but stops. "I didn't hug you, Dad."

 

She hugs Shawn and Angela sees his face breaking into a smile as he pats her back.

 

Jamila smiles at them one more time before she skips her way to the kitchen. 

 

Shawn turns to look at her and leans to whisper in Angela's ear. "I _love_ it when she calls me Dad."

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Shawn is telling Jamila the story behind the small vase full of seashells on their coffee table when Angela decides to call Rachel. 

 

 

"So", Jamila says after he's done telling his story. "Mom got you all these seashells?"

 

Shawn nods, and she smiles, a little in awe. "They look so cool."

 

"I know", Shawn agrees, with a self-righteous nod. "Your mother has great taste."

 

 

After hearing a lot of muffled voices for two minutes, Angela finally hears Rachel's voice directly. 

 

"Rachel", she says, relieved. "Finally ~~\--~~ I've been trying to call you for ages! I miss you!"

 

"Angela, I've missed you too!", Rachel says, trying too hard to maintain a cheery tone over her weary one.

 

Angela paces around the living room, carefully choosing her words. "How are things at the hospital?"

 

"Ugh", Rachel grunts. "Tiring, Angela, so fucking tiring. I haven't been home in, like, twenty-six hours."

 

"Yeah", Angela said, not really sure how to console a doctor. "Hey, I had some news by the way ~~\--~~ "

 

"You're pregnant."

 

"...Are you a psychic now?"

 

"Topanga called me."

 

Angela rolled her eyes. "Of course. So, what do you think of the good news?"

 

"I'm really happy for you Angela!", she says, sounding actually cheery for that one moment. "Think of any names?"

 

"No, we're still looking. Suggestions?"

 

"Okay..Mackenzie?"

 

"I really can't say that name with a clear conscience."

 

"Oh, oh, Angela", Shawn says, walking over to her. "Can you give her to me after you're done?"

 

"Sure", Angela says.

 

"What'd he say?", Rachel asked. 

 

"He wants to talk you."

 

"I have an appointment in two minutes. Give him to me."

 

Angela hands Shawn the phone.

 

"Hey, Rach", he says, smiling. "Miss you too ~~\--~~ yeah, I know! We didn't really expect it."

 

He paused slightly, a frown spreading on his face. 

 

"No, Mackenzie is a terrible name!"

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

A week after discovering her pregnancy, Angela makes the mistake of dialing her father's number before she can stop herself.

 

 

Her aunt picks up before she can end the call. 

 

"Hello, Angela", she says, amicably, as if Angela hadn't just dialed her dead father's number and she hadn't picked it up. "Everything okay?"

 

"Yeah. Uh, sorry, Aunt June", she says, quickly, a little shaken. "Wrong number."

 

Angela throws her phone on the couch, a little angry at herself for momentarily forgetting something as big and permanent as death. 

 

The tears gather in her eyes before she can stop them. 

 

She didn't want to admit it, but she'd really expected to hear her father's voice. 

 

She wanted to tell her father that she's pregnant and that she's scared.

 

She wanted him to get worried and happy and proud and ask her to meet him the next day or the next week for lunch so they can talk. She wanted him to sit across from her at a nice restaurant and ask about her job and her family.

 

"It's going to be just fine, Angel", she wanted him to say, with that big smile he reserved for her alone. 

 

 

A key turns in and the door opens. 

 

"I dropped Jamila off at Tina's", Shawn says, walking in with a plastic bag. "And I bought candy too, couldn't really find Sno-Caps, though ~~\--"~~

 

Shawn stops abruptly, noticing the sobs. "Hey, what's wrong?"

 

Angela looks at him across the room, her face tear-streaked, and considers lying for a moment and blaming it on the hormones. She shakes her head and answers him with a wobbling voice.

 

"I called Dad."

 

She tried to shrug and give a sarcastic smile, but he sat next to her and hugged her all the same. 

 

"This baby won't have any grandparents", Angela says after a while, realizing. "At least Jamila got to see Dad."

 

"I know", Shawn says, even though he didn't sound like he knew. 

 

"Your aunt won't mind them calling her grandma", he says a while later. 

 

"Yeah", Angela said, readjusting her head against his chest. "And Mr. and Mrs. Matthews already told Mila they're basically her grandparents."

 

Angela turned her head to take a better look at him. "You told me this morning you found a name?" 

 

"Yeah", he says, playing with the straps of her tank top lazily. "It's pretty gender neutral, I suppose, but I don't know if you'll like it."

 

He seemed to be trying to stall, so Angela urged him. "Yeah?"

 

"Piper", Shawn said, with the expression of someone who tried to appear like they didn't care when they actually did. 

 

 Angela nodded, a little. "That's pretty."

 

"It's better than Mackenzie."

 

"Totally."

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

"I love Piper!", Jack says over dinner as Angela tells him the names they're considering. 

 

 

Angela smiles at his enthusiasm and wonders momentarily how he and Eric managed to make dinner when both of them, according to the New York Times and Business Insider, were so incredibly busy. 

 

"Me too", Eric says, kissing his husband on the lips before he sits down. "I also like how we're keeping the tradition of naming your kids after my old imaginary friends."

 

"You do know we don't do that on purpose, right?", Shawn says, smiling happily.

 

"Eric", Angela asks, trying to bring up an interesting subject. "Is that thing about that bakery in your town really true?"

 

"Oh, it's a long story", Eric says,  eyes lighting up as he delves into a story about the infamous bakery, a serial killer, and, strangely, mermaids.

 

Angela listens to the story halfheartedly and finds herself focusing on other things that were hidden in plain sight. 

 

She notices the adoption papers half-tucked into a file on the bookshelf, wondering if Jack and Eric were going through with the adoption they told them about .

 

A second later, she glimpses the slightest changes from chagrined to amused to undeniably smitten on Jack's face as he follows Eric's story.

 

She turns to Shawn, trying to see if he's seeing Jack's face too, and figures that he had somehow stolen her pregnancy glow because he looked even better today. 

 

 

Angela attempts to focus back on Eric's story, but her phone rings the minute he mentions the ' _gaggle of teenagers_ '.

 

"Hey, Mila", Angela says, trying to tune out Eric, who's story had just gotten intriguing. "What's up?"

 

"A ~~\--~~ Topanga drove me back from soccer practice", Jamila says, still unsure of what exactly to call Topanga, who had said  aunt and Mrs. Lawrence ' _makes me feel so old_ ' _._ "But you guys aren't home?"

 

Angela slapped her forehead. "We're at your Uncles', Mila. Sorry, we forgot to leave you a note." 

 

Shawn frowned, looking at his phone. "Did she just get home? It's nine o'clock, Angela, and there's school tomorrow."

 

"Jamila", Angela said. "Practice was over two hours ago."

 

"Oh yeah, I had dinner with Topanga and the others before she dropped me off."

 

"Well, we'll be back soon. Call us if you need anything."

 

Angela hangs up and conversation resumes. "She had dinner at Cory and Topanga's."

 

"Oh, okay. Jack, why the hell are you looking at me like that?", Shawn asks. 

 

" ' _There's school tomorrow'?_ ", Jack says, smirking. "Congrats, man, you're a Dad with a capital D!"

 

Shawn looks at Angela as if saying 'can you believe this?'. "If you're trying to insult me, Jack, I'll have you know I'm a cool dad."

 

"Actually, no", Angela says, shaking her head in disbelief at her husband. "I thought we agreed I'm the cool parent."

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Angela's about seven months pregnant and on maternity leave when Jamila suggests a baby name. 

 

 

"Aria", Angela says, trying it out. "That's a pretty name, Jamila."

 

"This new girl in our class came in today and that was her name", Jamila says. "I thought it was nice."

 

Shawn looks up from his laptop with a playful smile. "Was she cute?", he asked, teasingly.

 

"Yeah, she was cool", Jamila says, a little too casually. "I'm going to take a nap."

 

She walks off hurriedly as if to avoid anymore questions. 

 

"I'm getting really good at this whole 'teasing parent' thing", Shawn says, carrying the laptop and walking over to sit by her on the couch.

 

"I was going to say the same thing", Angela said, going back to the back she was reading. "Don't worry, she'll start gushing all about her crushes soon enough."

 

 

Angela was starting to get immersed in her book again when she remembers something suddenly. "Topanga told me a couple of names she found cute, by the way."

 

She tried to remember the names, shaking her head. "I can't remember any of them. I tuned her out after Chloe."

 

Shawn snorted. "I didn't last until Chloe. Barely made it to Steven."

 

"I liked Steven", Angela said. "But the rest were just...I mean, Chloe?"

 

"Yeah, we're not Chloe people."

 

"You don't think we're just saying this now and end up naming our kid something weird?"

 

"Ang, we shouldn't really be worrying about weird", he says, turning the laptop around to face her. "Look who I found on Facebook."

 

Angela did a double-take. "What the ~~\--~~ Is that _Minkus_? Oh my God, he and... Jennifer Basset are married now?!"

 

"Yeah", Shawn says, laughing. "They have a kid too. Check this out."

 

Shawn scrolls down and Angela is really left speechless.

 

"They named their kid Farkle?"

 

"Told you we shouldn't worry about weird names."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
